Knights player Iesha Burgos chases down a loose ball NECC athletics website
The Knights defeated Roxbury community college 66-39 at the fitness center on Jan 30. The win puts the Knights at (8-6) and (7-2) in conference play.
The Knights opened the first quarter on a 9-0 run in five minutes. A layup by the Tigers broke the streak and onto the board 9-2. Mirelys Morales of Dracut, MA tallied five of the Knights first nine points. NECC further expanded their lead to 12 on an 11-6 run, 20-9.
The Tigers crawled back with a second quarter 17-10 run to trail by only five points. The Knights clung onto the five-point lead as they entered the locker room 30-25.
When the second half started The Knights, offence started to heat back up. The Knights opened the quarter with a 25-4run, highlighted by a three pointer from Kameryn Pastorello of Billerica, MA to lead 50-29. The Knights carried a 29-point lead into the fourth quarter. NECC closed out the final quarter 16-10 EnRoute to a 66-39 victory over Roxbury,
Morales’s recorded her first double-double of the season with 15 points and 11 rebounds. In addition to Moralses’ impressive night, Emma Ruggiero of Chelmsford, MA and Kamryn Pastorello of Billerica, MA recorded double figures points, with 14 and 13.
On Jan 23 the nationally ranked Knights took down The Community college of Rhode Island 92-73. The victory extends their winning streak to threein a row. NECC improved Thier record (15-1) this season.
NECC got off to an electric start with an 11-0 run over the opening four minutes. CCRI broke the streak with a layup onthe rim at the 16-minute mark. The Knights answered with a 9-2 run in eight minutes to extend their advantage to 16 over CCRI. Darlin Santiago of Salem, MA closed the half with a pair of free throws. The Knights entered the break with an 18-point lead, 50-32.
The Knights picked up where they left off. 30 seconds into the half Camill Palaciouglu of Tuebingen, GR picked off a pass and fed it to Javien Kirmil of Lowell, MA for two points. The Knights continued to build onto their lead with a 14-2 run, 66-34 at the 15-minute mark. NECC lead by as many as 32during that stretch. CCRI chipped away at the defect getting as close as 19 but the effort wasn’t enough as NECC coasted into a 92-73 win
Luis Reynoso of Lawerence, MA led the way on offense with 19points and 15rebounds. Kirmil and Karl Wolfgang of Doula, Cameron joined him in double digits with 18 and 10 respectably. On defense Reysnso had a team high four steals.
As a team, The Knights shot a scorching hot (47.6) percent 31-60 from three and (51.7) percent overall 10-21.
Knight’s Emma Ruggiero launches a two-point shot | NECC Observer
Women’s basketball fell to the community college of Rhode Island 80-33 on Jan 23. The Knights drop to (7-6) this season. CCRI improves to (10-5).
NECC’s struggled to make baskets. The Knights were 14-5 in field goal attempts and 1-17 from behind the ark. They shot (27.5) percent as a team.
Mirelys Morales of Dracut, MA who was the only Knight who reached double figures with 23 points. She contributed on defense as well with a pair of steals and blocks. Mariah LaSalle of Lawerence, MAchipped in off the bench withfour points and three rebounds.
A three-pointer by CCRI three point put them on the board first. NECC responded with a 4-0 run in what would turn out to be their only lead of the game, 4-3. CCRI answered back with a 14-2 run to lead 17-6 at the 2:41 mark. The Knights quickly whittled the deficit down to seven. The burst was capped off with a field goal by LaSalle with nine seconds remaining in the quarter.
Unfortunately, The Knights couldn’t carry their momentum into the second quarter. They found themselves down by double digits again when CCRI sunk a shot from three-point land to expand their lead to 11two minutes into the quarter.
The Knights entered the locker room down by 24, 39-15.
The third quarter was all CCRI. The Knights trailed by as many as 45 points thanks to a 28-7 run by CCRI. In the final frame started the Knights kept pace with CCRI 13-11. However, they never threatened a comeback as NECC fell 80-33
Each run the Knights made where basket Knights basket was responded to by CCRI. The defense which allowed CCRI to shoot (51.7) percent as a team. Couldn’t make up for the poor shooting performance.
On Jan 25 Northern Essex announced the representatives for the 2024 hall of fame class. The inductees include Larry Fowle, Colby Maiola and Sercan Fenerci. The three former athletics members will be inducted on March 20.
This will be the fifth annual induction ceremony at NECC.
The ceremony will be held in the Hartleb technology center on the Haverhill campus at 6:00 p.m. tickets for the event will cost $35 dollars per person and the due date to buy one is March 11.
For more information contact Athletic director Dan Blair at dblair@necc.mass.edu
The Northern Essex Community College men’s basketball team got off to a ferocious start, winning its first 14 games with a mighty points-per-game average of 89.1 and a strong field goal percentage of 45.1%. The team unfortunately fell to Westchester Community College by only a four-point deficit, but they immediately got back on track, winning their next eight games to earn a very impressive record of 22-1. Returning stars such as Luis Reynoso and budding stars such as Karl Wolfgang and Javien Kirmil have fueled this time throughout the season, with Reynoso achieving a respectable stat line of 19.3 points and 13.6 rebounds per game.
Their coach, Darren Stratton has cemented this team into an absolute powerhouse, including achieving the ranking of #5 in the NJCAA Division III Men’s Basketball Rankings. Stratton has a successful history of playing for NECC and immediately joined the coaching staff after he finished his playing career. The team came up just short in the National DIII NJCAA Championship Bracket but is looking to return again stronger than before. Coach Stratton has been very proud of the way his team has been playing, and when asked about what makes this team so successful, he said “…recruiting good kids. Recruiting unselfish kids, good kids, high character kids. I think that’s the key contributing factor to what we’re doing here at Northern Essex. It’s all the players, like I’ve always told them from the beginning, players win basketball games. Coaches aren’t out there. All coaches do is basically put you in position to win basketball games. The success is all on the players. They’ve done a tremendous job. This year, we had very good leaders in Darwin Santiago, Luis Reynoso and Edwin SamMbaka have done an excellent job with this crew, and I think they come to work every single day, they come focused, and there’s no letups. They’re great bunch of kids to really coach.”
Of course, these players come from various parts of the world, and it really takes a great amount of time and effort to be able to find these stars. Enter Dan Blair, the athletic director who has received plenty of recognition for his ability to recruit high-quality athletes for all of the teams at Northern Essex. “It’s really finding the right coaches, and then, you know, they do the bulk of the recruiting and I help them out when they need it, you know, if it’s talking with the kids, talking with the parent, you know, just kind of if they need that finishing touch to get the kid here. But, you know, I let the coaches do most of it, and, you know, I’m just here to help them if they need it.” He has been described in one newspaper as the first to enter the office and the last one to leave.
This is very significant for Northern Essex, as the success of this basketball team only helps it to expand its popularity amongst aspiring high school basketball athletes who have bright futures ahead of them. Izeah, a student at Northern Essex, expressed the opportunities that this success could provide: “I think that basketball is a unifying sport that brings many together, so NECC is doing a good job putting the spotlight and attention on some of the highlights of what a community college has to offer, so, for them to have such a great basketball team, it really is putting us on the map.” Indeed, it is. The team is part of the Region 21 Division of the NJCAA Division III Conference. With these accolades and the conference that it is in, the program could serve as a phenomenal developmental program for players aspiring to play at a higher level in collegiate athletics in the future.
Stratton admitted that he learned a lot from the team’s visit to the championship last year and feels that his team is much more prepared to make a run for the title this year. “I think we’ll be ourselves if that’s the case. I think we have all the pieces to put it together, and obviously when you get to the national tournament, you take Brookdale Community College who’s number one in the country, they have six kids that scored over 1,000 points in high school. We don’t have one that scored over 1,000 points in high school. We recently just had Luis Reynoso do it, you know, at the junior college level, but, in high school, he didn’t do it. So, I think when you get to that level, you need some luck, obviously, but also you need to be prepared. I feel, last year, if we do get an opportunity to go there this year, there’s some things I’m going to do differently that I learned from my first experience going out there. But, also, we had a lot of weaknesses that, basically, teams could exploit. This year, we tried to play a tougher schedule. This year, we added a few pieces that were missing from last year’s team that I think that we can play any kind of style.” With a new, revamped team, there seems to be a lot of confidence that this team can win the championship this season. It is truly amazing that so many NECC teams have been able to achieve great success, and the future looks very bright, especially for this men’s basketball team.
Unexpectedly, the Northern Essex Community College (NECC) baseball team has achieved unprecedented success, advancing to the third place in the country.
Players and advisers are thrilled with the team’s incredible ascent to the top, which has created a historic moment for the college’s sports department.
Head Coach Jeff Mejia expressed his pride in the team’s achievements, stating, “This is a testament to the hard work and dedication of our players. We’ve been striving for excellence, and it’s gratifying to see that effort reflected in our national ranking.”
Talented players, astute coaching, and an unrelenting sense of team spirit all contributed to the squad’s success.
The athletes have benefited greatly from the guidance and support of advisers and coaches, who have created a culture of growth and unity.
Team captain, Eric Wainwrignt shared his excitement about the achievement, saying, “Being ranked number 3 in the country is a dream come true for all of us. We’ve been grinding on the field, supporting each other, and it’s fantastic to see that hard work pay off.”
In light of their newfound status, the team is gearing up for the upcoming playoffs with a renewed sense of determination.
Pitcher Jayden Voelker shared his thoughts on the team’s future, saying, “We’re not content with just being number 3. We’re setting our sights higher and aiming for that championship.”
The campus community is excited to watch the next chapters of the NECC baseball team’s incredible adventure come to pass. The number three spot is more than simply a number; it represents the tenacity, camaraderie, and dedication to greatness that characterize Northern Essex Community College’s baseball program.
Editor’s Note: Elijah Thibodeux is a member of the NECC baseball team.
Thousands of football fans attend the Super Bowl every year as they cheer on their favorite team in hopes for their team to win the championship but what about the fans who stay home?
Not thousands but millions of fans back home gather around their tv, tablet, iPad, or iPhone screens to watch the Super Bowl including the most watched performance which is the Super Bowl HalfTime Show.
This year’s Super Bowl HalfTime performance was led by American singer-songwriter and dancer Usher.
Usher is a worldwide known artist who has sold 80 million records worldwide “making him one of the best-selling music artists of all time.”
In the late 90s and early 2000’s Usher was one of the most popular artists and became the most popular artist in 2004 when he released his album titled “Confessions.”
“When I found out Usher was going to be the one performing, I was excited, he’s doing it for the culture,” said Jennifer Tejada, NECC student.
Usher lit up the stage Sunday night as he performed his greatest hits “Caught Up” “U Don’t Have to Call”, “Superstar”, “Love in this Club,” and so much more.
Usher also had a show-stopping lineup of artists that took on the stage with him throughout his performance.
Artists like Alicia Keys, H.E.R, Ludacris and more took to the stage to assist Usher.
“I love that he brought out Alicia Keys and all the other appearances because his old music was just a vibe,” said Diana Martinez, a NECC student.
Usher’s halftime performance was a success as it made impressive numbers with 30.1 million viewers exceeding last year’s halftime show that was led by Rihanna.
This year’s halftime show drew in 5% more viewers than last year.”
“Imma be honest the performance was kind of mid, like it was cool for the culture, but I expected way more,” said Elijah Thibodeaux NECC Student.
If you missed it or want to relive the moment of what fans on the internet are saying is the “Legend’s Concert” the Super Bowl HalfTime show can be watched or rewatched on platforms like YouTube, Apple music and other streaming services.
Boygenius (Phoebe Bridgers from left, Lucy Dacus, and Julien Baker) celebrate their three Grammy award wins Photo courtesy of xboygeniusx on Instagram
Award season is in full swing, an exciting time for enjoyers of all things entertainment. The 66th Annual Grammy Awards were held on Sunday, February 4th, and proved to be an important night in the music world.
Of all discourse surrounding the award show, one of the most prevalent topics has been the role that women have played in making the Grammys what it was. As stated by host Trevor Noah in his opening monologue, women artists were all over the list of nominees for the night, even covering seven of eight nominees for Album Of The Year.
Throughout the day, the major successes of women started during the Premiere Ceremony, in which awards for non-major categories get presented. The Grammys introduced a brand new category this year, Best African Music Performance. This award was presented to Tyla, a young South African up and coming artist, for her song “Water”. “‘What the heck?!’ she declared once on stage. ‘This is crazy, I never thought I’d say I won a GRAMMY at 22 years old,’” the Grammys website states.
During the official Grammys ceremony, the wins for women certainly didn’t end. Taylor Swift won the award for Best Pop Vocal Album for Midnights, which happened to be Swift’s thirteenth Grammy award. During her acceptance speech, Swift announced her new studio album, The Tortured Poets Department, which is set to release on April 19th.
Swift later in the night went on to win Album Of The Year, also for Midnights, making her the first musician to have won four Album Of The Year awards.
Along with a performance of “What Was I Made For,” Billie Eilish’s contribution to the “Barbie” soundtrack, Eilish won the award for Song Of The Year for the track. While accepting the award with her brother and music partner, Finneas O’Connell, Eilish heavily contests her win, pointing out the seemingly stacked category. “I’m shocked,” Eilish states during her speech.
During the ceremony, SZAaccepts the award for Best R&B song for “Snooze” off of her album SOS, also nominated for Album Of The Year. She is seen with her phone in her hand while accepting her award, having only just changed from her performance of “Kill Bill” earlier in the night.
SZA tells People Magazine “It’s the culmination of everything. Of the moments leading up to that, even Lizzo and not realizing what was happening and being lost. Then I saw her and I was like, ‘Oh.’ I was realizing what was happening,” in reference to Lizzo, a long time friend of hers, presenting her award.
Victoria Monét wins the award for Best New Artist at the award ceremony. “My roots have been growing underneath ground, unseen, for so long, and I feel like today I’m sprouting, finally above ground,” Monét states in her emotional acceptance speech.
The Grammys also proved to be a big night for supergroup Boygenius, (pictured Phoebe Bridgers from left, Lucy Dacus, and Julien Baker) as they won three awards in Award season is in full swing, an exciting time for enjoyers of all things entertainment. The 66th Annual Grammy Awards were held on Sunday, February 4th, and proved to be an important night in the music world.
Of all discourse surrounding the award show, one of the most prevalent topics has been the role that women have played in making the Grammys what it was. As stated by host Trevor Noah in his opening monologue, women artists were all over the list of nominees for the night, even covering seven of eight nominees for Album Of The Year.
Throughout the day, the major successes of women started during the Premiere Ceremony, in which awards for non-major categories get presented. The Grammys introduced a brand new category this year, Best African Music Performance. This award was presented to Tyla, a young South African up and coming artist, for her song “Water”. “‘What the heck?!’ she declared once on stage. ‘This is crazy, I never thought I’d say I won a GRAMMY at 22 years old,’” the Grammys website states.
During the official Grammys ceremony, the wins for women certainly didn’t end. Taylor Swift won the award for Best Pop Vocal Album for Midnights, which happened to be Swift’s thirteenth Grammy award. During her acceptance speech, Swift announced her new studio album, The Tortured Poets Department, which is set to release on April 19th.
Swift later in the night went on to win Album Of The Year, also for Midnights, making her the first musician to have won four Album Of The Year awards.
Along with a performance of “What Was I Made For,” Billie Eilish’s contribution to the “Barbie” soundtrack, Eilish won the award for Song Of The Year for the track. While accepting the award with her brother and music partner, Finneas O’Connell, Eilish heavily contests her win, pointing out the seemingly stacked category. “I’m shocked,” Eilish states during her speech.
During the ceremony, SZA (pictured) accepts the award for Best R&B song for “Snooze” off of her album SOS, also nominated for Album Of The Year. She is seen with her phone in her hand while accepting her award, having only just changed from her performance of “Kill Bill” earlier in the night.
SZA tells People Magazine “It’s the culmination of everything. Of the moments leading up to that, even Lizzo and not realizing what was happening and being lost. Then I saw her and I was like, ‘Oh.’ I was realizing what was happening,” in reference to Lizzo, a long time friend of hers, presenting her award.
Victoria Monét wins the award for Best New Artist at the award ceremony. “My roots have been growing underneath ground, unseen, for so long, and I feel like today I’m sprouting, finally above ground,” Monét states in her emotional acceptance speech.
The Grammys also proved to be a big night for supergroup Boygenius, comprised of Julien Baker, Phoebe Bridgers, and Lucy Dacus, as they won three awards in the rock and alternative music categories. “Music saved my life. Everyone can be in a band, this band is my family,” Baker emotionally says during the group’s acceptance speech for Best Rock Performance for “Not Strong Enough.”
Having won the award for Best Pop Duo/Group performance earlier in the day with her SZA collaboration, “Ghost In The Machine,” Bridgers became the person to walk away with the most Grammy awards of the night.
Later in the evening, Boygenius was asked about their perspectives on women in rock music. Bridgers uses this time to publicly denounce former Grammy CEO Neil Portnow and his previous statements regarding women winning Grammy awards. According to Associated Press, Portnow is currently being sued for sexual harassment charges. “To him I’d like to say, I know you’re not dead yet, but when you are, rot in piss,” Bridgers states.
rock and alternative music categories. “Music saved my life. Everyone can be in a band, this band is my family,” Baker emotionally says during the group’s acceptance speech for Best Rock Performance for “Not Strong Enough.”
Having won the award for Best Pop Duo/Group performance earlier in the day with her SZA collaboration, “Ghost In The Machine,” Bridgers became the person to walk away with the most Grammy awards of the night.
Later in the evening, Boygenius was asked about their perspectives on women in rock music. Bridgers uses this time to publicly denounce former Grammy CEO Neil Portnow and his previous statements regarding women winning Grammy awards. According to Associated Press, Portnow is currently being sued for sexual harassment charges. “To him I’d like to say, I know you’re not dead yet, but when you are, rot in piss,” Bridgers states.
The spring semester started with a bang for Northern Essex Community College theater students and professor Brianne Beatrice. They went right back into the theater to start re-rehearsing last spring’s production, Hurricane Diane.Beatrice learned just before the holiday break that representatives from the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival (KCACTF) selected the production as a finalist for the Region 1 Festival, taking place from Jan. 30 to Feb. 3.
Regardless of the outcome, it won’t be the final curtain call for Diane. NECC Theater is restaging the production on the Haverhill Campus onFeb. 23 and 24 at 7 p.m. and at 2 p.m. on Feb.25. Tickets are on sale now.
“We have to remount the entire production to perform at festival,” says Beatrice. “All the students, everyone got right back into it. By next Monday, we’ll be good to go. We get there on a Tuesday, load in Wednesday, and perform Thursday.”
“Festival,” as it’s called, brings together hundreds of college theater students, professors, and professionals from New England and New York to showcase their work and share their expertise. Hurricane Diane was one of just six finalists chosen out of 60 productions, including shows from many prestigious, four-year schools.
“It’s crazy our work is being honored like this. They’re looking for good art, and our art is being recognized,” Beatrice remarks. This is the second show Beatrice has produced at NECC to be chosen for festival. The first was Stupid F*cking Bird in 2019.
Mirrorajah Metcalfe as Diane Photo courtesy of NECC News
The title role in Hurricane Diane is played by Liberal Arts: Writing major Mirrorajah Metcalfe of Haverhill. AmericanTheater.org describes the character as “a permaculture gardener dripping with butch charm.” In reality, Diane is the Greek god Dionysus. She’s returned to the modern world to gather mortal followers and restore the Earth to its natural state. Where better to begin than with four housewives in a suburban New Jersey cul-de-sac? The comedy serves as a commentary on the blind eye we all turn to climate change and “the bacchanalian catharsis that awaits us, even in our own backyards.”
Four more Northern Essex students round out the cast: Olivia Barberian, Gwynnethe Glickman, Jessica Newey, and Ana Barrera.
Metcalfe and Barberian were also selected to compete for Irene Ryan Acting Scholarships.
Each will perform two monologues and a scene. Newey, meanwhile, is nominated for The LMDA/KCACTF Student Dramaturgy Award.
Winners in each award category, including the production, will move on to the national festival later this spring in Washington, D.C. Northern Essex offers a variety of theater and acting courses. Additionally, they stage several full productions and readings throughout the year.
NECC Tabletop Game club has been meeting once a week at 4:30 p.m. at the Knights Nook in the SC Building of the Haverhill Campus for years to allow students to gather around and have fun working together or participating in friendly competition over some fun games of their choice.
Meetings usually include members cycling through and playing multiple games while chatting, laughing and having fun. Multiple games can be played at once with members splitting up to play what they want.
Members say that people are also encouraged to bring their own games if the selection provided does not have what they want.
There is a wide selection available at the school with multiple bins of games displayed on the tables.
According to members anyone can join just by showing up to the meetings there isn’t anything specific people have to do but if they do have any questions they can feel free to email the current advisor of the club Jessica Angelini.
The club was without an advisor for about four months until one was finally found and they say they are always looking for new members.
The club meetings begin at 4:30 p.m. and end at 6 p.m. but members say students are welcome to arrive early and stay late if they want.
“The more the merrier, anyone is invited and if you are not happy with the selection you are welcome to bring your own game” says Charlie Morfill a current member of the club. “Weird(ness) is accepted and encouraged,” says John Lahey, a guest attending the meeting.
Current members of the club attending the last meeting included Morfill who has been attending meetings for two years, Duncan Brenner who has been attending meetings since the end of his first semester or the start of second semester, and Lahey a guest who has been attending meetings for two years.
This past meeting members played a round of the game Rapid Response in which the goal is to complete five missions which are all on different cards before they run out of tokens which are taken away one by one after a two minute timer goes off.
Then members played Doctor Who trivial Pursuit for the remainder of the meeting where members competed to test their knowledge of the TV show by rolling a dice with different color Daleks on each side and answering the question corresponding with the color rolled.
